The Merced Bears will challenge the Enochs Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Merced knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Enochs likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Merced came up short against Madera and fell 48-35. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on September 6th (34), the Bears still had to take the loss.
Merced's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Quintell Dupree, who threw for 266 yards and four touchdowns, and Jeremy Garcia, who picked up 133 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Garcia was no stranger to the big play, connecting on a big catch that went for 58 yards. A healthy portion of that aerial production (83 yards to be exact) also went to Julian Higareda, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Meanwhile, Enochs was beaten by East Union 50-20 two weeks ago.
Despite the defeat, Enochs got top-tier performance from Eric Myles, who rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 54 receiving yards and a touchdown. Myles also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing a fumble, making eight total tackles, and making eight total tackles. Johnny Staggs was another key player, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns.
Enochs' defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Isaiah Maxey and Caden Barnwell. Another thorn in East Union's side was Landon Johnson, who picked up a sack and made nine total tackles.
Merced's loss dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Enochs, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-2.
Friday's game might be decided in the trenches. Merced has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 175.2 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Enochs, though, as they've been averaging only 97.8. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Merced against Enochs in their previous meeting back in September of 2014, as the team secured a 70-35 victory. In that match, Merced amassed a halftime lead of 56-21, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
